So, I was in Chicago for a few hours and man, does it get dark there really quickly! I don’t know, maybe it was because the Bears lost a tough game. Hopefully they can bounce back.

I flew out to Dallas this morning for the Winter Meetings. This is always an exciting time if you are baseball fan and if you work in the sport. It gives us a great chance to see what exactly everyone else is doing. Every team always has needs, and this is the place where teams come to get better and fill those needs.

The charity event in Panama was awesome. Congrats to Andruw Jones on the event, as well as the Noriega brothers and Carlos Lee. They all did an amazing job. To be able to get the caliber of baseball players down there that they did was truly remarkable. Baseball is coming back to Panama and it’s very exciting. We played a celebrity softball game down there. I had Andruw, CC Sabathia, Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter and Curtis Granderson (or as I like to call him “UIC”), so we had a pretty good group. I got a couple of hits and almost pulled every muscle in my body. It was great that all of those guys took the time out of their offseason to go help out and it certainly paid off.

I also got a chance to watch Miguel Cotto pick up the win on Saturday night. There were a lot of satisfied people around since Cotto won, I can tell you that.

Now, it’s time for a few days here in Dallas. It’s going to be a fun time and already looks like some good news for Marlins fans! I will keep you posted.

How is everyone doing today? I’m still spending a few more days down here in Panama, but now we have moved to Panama City. We are at a place called the Manrey Hotel and it is amazing. I have to say, I’m actually in awe of Panama and how advanced this place it. Very impressive. I haven’t had a bad meal since we landed in this country. The food and the people are great.

Some of the Yankees guys should be getting into town either today or tomorrow to get ready for Andruw Jones’s event. From everything I have heard, this event should be pretty awesome, and I will be sure to put up some pictures when I can. Today I may even get a chance to meet Roberto Duran. My kids and I love boxing, so that would be a real thrill!

Got some good news the other day while I was down here: The people over at ESPN The Magazine informed me through my guys at Triple Crown Productions that we got the cover of the magazine’s December issue. That’s pretty awesome news! And the fact that my lazy-ass dog, DH, made the cover, too, is even better. It looks like he got a taste of my whole mouth on the shot, too. I can’t say enough about the ESPN crew. They showed up and did their job. They were telling me that usually during shoots people can be pretty quiet. Well, as you could imagine, not me and my family (haha). I think we ended up talking more than we got photographed. You can check out some behind-the-scenes pics I posted last week from the shoot on the website. It’s an honor to be on the cover, and I couldn’t be happier that I got it. And for your sake just be happy ESPN didn’t pick me to be on the cover of their “Body Issue”. That would have been bad for everyone (haha).

So, here is the final product; the cover (with DH, of course) that hits newsstands tomorrow. Be sure to go pick up a copy and read the interview I did with Tim Kirkjian. He did a great job with the questions and I answered as best as I could.

Chris McPherson/ESPN The Magazine

Happy December everyone, and hopefully we will see you guys this weekend in Chicago or at the Winter Meetings next week. This is always an exciting time for baseball and I can’t wait to see what happens.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I had a great time down in Panama and actually had a chance to do something that I had only done once before — I renewed my vows. After 28 years of being married, I decided it was time. I did it all on my own; my wife had no clue. See, I guess I can be romantic (haha). I guess since we didn’t get divorced after 72 days the first time around (72 days seems kinda fast) I think we will make it this time too. I just want to say thank you to my wife, Ibis, and my family for sticking with me, even though some of them have no choice (haha). No, but seriously that’s my real team no matter what!

We had some turkey on Thanksgiving Day down here in Panama. We actually are not staying in Panama City; we are at the Royalton Panama Beach Resort in Playa Blanca. I have one word to describe this place: Wow!

I have been able to keep up with some news from back in the states. The NBA is back, and I can’t wait to watch a couple games before I head down to Venezuela.

I will be keeping in touch with everyone. Hopefully, we have some good news coming with the Marlins and we pick up a few guys. I will talk to you guys before the weekend and Andruw Jones’ charity event. Panama has really been awesome to us!

Well, today we head to Panama for a little time on the beach during Thanksgiving Weekend. I hope you all have a safe and amazing time no matter where you are going to be. I promised to put some pics up of my ESPN photo shoot I did last week, so here it is. I will give you a little sneak peek of the star of the show — my English bulldog, DH.

I swear every time I’m in the city of Chicago I never want to leave, but its time to head for some warmer weather again! I’m going to Panama on Wednesday to relax and spend some time with my family. It’s going to be an amazing trip. I’m also there to help out — as I mentioned in one of my previous blog posts — my good friend Andruw Jones and his charity. I expect us to be visiting some schools and hospitals while I am there. Whatever they ask me to do I will be excited to do it. I will also get to see my good buddy Ruben Blades, hopefully. These people have done so much to help out the Ozzie Guillen Foundation in Venezuela, so it’s the least I can do. My foundation helps kids and their families dealing with cancer and other problems. It’s important we recognize how much these families often struggle for the simplest of things, so giving back in any way is good.

We will also be able to fit in some down time as well. This is a vacation, after all! I’m sure we will hit the beach a bunch and get a chance to check out some of the golf courses and try out my new clubs from Tour Edge. This will be my first trip to Panama, so we will get some sightseeing in as well. Anybody been there before and have something good for us to do?

I watched the Bears game yesterday. Congrats to them on the win and staying hot. It is too bad to hear about the injury to Jay Cutler and his thumb, as he was playing really well. Hopefully they can continue to play well and make the playoffs; it won’t be easy, but I think they can do it.

A couple more things before I forget: The website is going to be getting a new look here soon, so I hope you all enjoy what we have come up with. Stay tuned!

I want to say thank you to the people at ESPN The Magazine who were at my house last Friday for a photo shoot. I will post some pics from the shoot tomorrow and keep you updated on when they will run.

I hope you all are having a great Thanksgiving this week. Always be grateful for what you have and work hard for what you want. Make sure you give thanks for your health, as it should always be at the top of your wish list. As always, God Bless!

Well, I’m back in Chicago, and oh boy, it is freezing! But seriously, I think it’s awesome (at least for now).

Miami was amazing. We got to see Pitbull, who put on a great show for all the Marlins fans. Wait until you all see the new uniforms in person before you judge them; if we start winning games everyone is going to love them even more! Being in Miami and seeing the new stadium, the culture and the energy that is already there and then seeing what the Marlins are trying to bring to South Florida shows you how serious they are. The front office, Mr. Jeffrey Loria and everyone else involved want to build a consistent winner down there. They are going to try and make the team better each and every year and that’s exactly what they are looking to do this year. As a fan, I think that’s all you can ask for.

I will be here in Chicago until next week before heading down to Panama for Thanksgiving. We are going down to Panama to help out some people down there and be a part of Andruw Jones and Orlando Cepeda’s charity event. Derek Jeter and JorgePosada will be down there, too, so it should be a great time. It’s always good to help out and lend a hand when you can. I hope I get to see my buddy RubenBlades down there. I have never been to Panama, but I have heard great things so I’m excited to get down there.

Please be sure to send along your questions through my site because I’m sure you want to know some of the things that have been going on, and I have plenty of time these days (haha). I swear I’m not going outside in this weather unless there is a Bulls game, and we know that’s not going to happen.

My question for you is: What do you think about the Marlins’ new logo and uniforms? I think they look awesome!

What’s up everyone?! Last night I attended the Marlins Community Foundation “Fish ‘N Chips” event and even though I got lost on my way over there (haha), I had a great time. What a great event and I am very happy that everything went so well. Tonight we get ready for the name change and the new uniforms that will be unveiled right next to our new stadium (hopefully I can figure out the Miami street system by then). Let me tell you something: Every time I see this new stadium it reminds me of when I was in Texas for the World Series and I got to see Cowboys Stadium. This place is going to be amazing, and I’m very excited to be a part of it.

Got a chance to see a bunch of the guys and hang out and talk to them a little bit. For anyone wondering, I think this LoMo (Logan Morrison) kid might be crazier than me (haha). I know why so many people like him.

So far I have heard the Marlins being linked to a lot of different players, and it seems like there is a little buzz already around this city. I know the Marlins and I are going to do everything possible to build a winner down here. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be a part of this process. It feels very good to be actively going out and being involved in trying to make this organization better, and I know we will get it done.

So, tonight is a big night, as we become the Miami Marlins. Hope you all are excited to see the new logo and make sure you let me know what you think!

Last, but certainly not least, I want to say thank you to all the veterans that have fought in the past and those that continue to serve and fight for this country. You are the real heroes and will never be forgotten.

I’m finally back in the United States, but don’t worry I had my iPad with me the entire time so I was able to see everything that has been going on. There are a lot of free agents out there and a couple of trades and signings already. All the news makes for a good read. It’s always fun to see how teams can re-tool and do the best they can to put a team together. I think as a manager — and as a fan — that’s fun to see.

I’m in Miami right now. I need to start looking for a place down here; hopefully somewhere close to the ballpark. I will keep you guys posted on how it goes. I’m very excited for the new Marlins logo that we will all get to see on Friday. I have heard they have some awesome things planned so this week should be a lot of fun. I haven’t seen the logo, so I’m looking forward to it!

I want to say a big thank you to the Pepsi crew and team in Venezuela for doing a great job working quickly on the new commercial we have coming out. It was great working with everyone, especially Carlos Zambrano and Bobby Abreu. Personally, I’m just glad Bobby cut his toenails for the shoot so that nobody got hurt. Those things were deadly weapons a couple of years ago (hahaha).

Seriously, what’s up with the NBA lockout? I was looking forward to seeing the Bulls this year. I’m headed back to Chicago soon and hope I can see some games this year. Figure it out!

I will be watching Pacquiao vs. Marquez 3 this Saturday, as I would advise everyone to. It should be a good fight.

OK, everyone, take care. I wish I could give you all a sneak peek of the new logo. Who knows? Maybe I will be able to. Hopefully we all look good in them, but I suspect that if we win we will look awesome no matter what we are wearing.

By now, I’m sure all of you know how great a time I had working for ESPN during this year’s World Series. It’s something I hope I get to do again (If they let me). I want to thank everyone who was involved for being so great to me and making sure I enjoyed my time there. Here is a picture of me and the guys on the “Baseball Tonight” set in St. Louis:

My entire album from the World Series was just uploaded to my website. Check it out!

What a World Series. Wow! Looking back, I just can’t believe all the crazy things that happened during that Series. It was definitely fun to watch and fun to be there in that environment with ESPN. I can’t say enough how awesome everyone was there and I look forward to working with them again in the future. Well I guess it’s not up to me (haha), but I would definitely like to do it again.

Congrats to Tony LaRussa and the Cardinals. It’s not about who is the best team, it’s about who gets hot at the right time, and the Cardinals proved that. On the other side of it, I was very proud of Ron Washington and the whole Texas Rangers team for battling through everything and almost being on top.

After the Series I went to New York to watch my good friend Ruben Blades perform along with 8 Y Mas. What an amazing concert, but even more amazing was the snow! It was not very fun, but I can tell you the drinks made it a lot more interesting (haha).

Right now, I’m back in Venezuela doing some things for my foundation, the Ozzie Guillen Foundation. The Foundation is dedicated to helping kids dealing with cancer and their families. This is without a doubt the best part about being a “celebrity.” Just the fact that we can help to give back and make such a huge impact on people’s lives means more to me than anything else. I’m also here to support my buddy Carlos Zambrano and his Home Run Derby that is going to take place in Puerto Cabello, close to the beach. We are also filming a Pepsi commercial down here with Carlos and Bobby Abreu. Here are some pictures:

After all of these activities we are headed back to Miami for the unveiling of the new Miami Marlins logo. To be honest with you, I haven’t seen the logo yet but I am very excited. I have heard a lot about some leaks and I don’t know what is true and what is not. I have heard some good and some bad things, but I can’t wait to see what they have done with it … let’s hope for the best!

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